The present invention relates to a differential comprising at least one drive wheel, at least two axle wheels, at least one compensating wheel and at least one connecting element, wherein the connecting element experiences at least a first torque at least from the drive wheel, and wherein the connecting element transmits at least a second torque to at least one of the at least two axle wheels by means of the at least one compensating wheel.
A differential gear, also called a differential for short, is a special planetary gear which, e.g., when a vehicle is driven in a curve, provides counterbalance for the different length paths traversed by the two wheels of an axle since the wheels rotate at different speeds. To this end, a connecting element is subjected to a drive torque from a drive wheel and is thereby put into motion. The drive wheel itself is in turn connected to a step-up gear and to an actual automotive engine via this step-up gear. Two axle wheels, each of which transmits a torque to an axle section connected to a wheel, are arranged in this connecting element, wherein the transmitted torque is dependent on the applied drive torque. The compensating wheel is connected to the axle wheels in a torque-related manner. When a difference in speed appears between the two wheels, the compensating wheel rotates and causes one axle to rotate at a higher speed.
In the prior art, the connecting element is generally a differential cage within which the axle wheels and the compensating wheels are arranged and whose circumference is connected to the drive wheel.
One embodiment of such a differential is found, for example, in published international patent application no. WO 2008/122276.
Disadvantages in the embodiments of the prior art arise from the differential cage in particular, which is expensive to manufacture, leads to a high space requirement and has a high weight.